Knowing now it was useless to argue, Ben Li decided to drop it and focus back to the main issue. He took the pitch-black rose from him and went towards the two giant Steles.
Wang Xie could only watch by the side as he was powerless to stop Ben Li from inheriting the cultivation art. After all, what they are now currently were incorporeal entities manifested by their subconscious minds. An entity instinctively constructed that had similar movement traits of the human body with the same cognitive abilities they so dearly cling onto. Because of that, they can't touch each other and nor even the forces can touch them.
Thus, if Ben Li wanted to, Wang Xie couldn't stop him.
However, if Wang Xie wanted to, he could always grab the destiny string attached from their chests and give Ben Li the hallucinations of hell. But he reckoned that Ben Li wouldn't fall for the same trick twice knowing how draining it was to his soul if he attempts to use it again.
However, even though they thought that nothing can touch them due to their intangibility, this realm was really weirding out their perception of things. Sometimes, even touching the ground with your feet could cause some ripples and activate the hidden mechanics of this realm by accident.
That's why they tread ever so carefully unbeknownst to the dangers lying everywhere.
There are three different ways to inherit a cultivation heritage and it highly depends on how the expert wanted the next generation to inherit it.
Firstly, there are inheritance that challenges the individuals wanting to inherit it by testing their capabilities and aptitude and whether they pass or fail will be up to the judgement of the Will that was left behind to guard it.
Secondly, there are inheritance that chooses who will inherit it depending if it was looking for a direct bloodline or something related to its fundamental aspects like cultivation arts or techniques that were on the same class as the inheritance.
And the last way to inheriting an inheritance was just to come forward and receive it for free. No Will left behind by the expert shall hinder you and you're free to do whatever you like when you received it.
And just so it happens, The Ten Commandments of The Demonic Hades Imperial Gospel was the type of inheritance that was free to take. And if he wanted, Ben Li could even sell the cultivation art to buy himself a country.
Ben Li looked at the 1st commandment inscribed on the giant black Stele and proceeded towards it. Then he lifted his finger and lightly presses it on the carvings of the 1st commandment and traces it towards the end of the sentence. Wherever his finger passes, the words underneath would lit up in whitish glow before fading out afterwards.
At the same time, the profound knowledge contained in the 1st Commandments were transferred into Ben Li's mindscape and transformed into a glyph containing the complete impartation of the cultivation art.
Inside Ben Li's mindscape, the glyph of the 1st commandment was floating nearby the glowing glob of essences and displayed an arcane halo around it.
Just then, ancient runes began to emerge from glyph and surrounded the glob of essences in all directions.
After which, the runes began to vibrate simultaneously as their colors dimmed while glowing strings emerged and attached themselves towards Ben Li's soul that was inside the globe.
Ben Li saw his vision darkened and felt his soul stinging from fiery pain that immediately dragged him in the verge insanity.
At the same time, his mind was stuffed with foreign thoughts that increased the pain.
Arrogant thoughts, infuriating thoughts, overindulgent thoughts, avaricious thoughts, covetous thoughts, indolent thoughts...
Many types of those thoughts were screaming at him, howling at him, torturing him, commanding him, berating him, insulting him, convincing him, telling him to do treacherous things and atrocious deeds which he shouldn't do and gave him images that he shouldn't even see.
'No... No... This... Isn't... Really... I don't want it...'
Ben Li felt like he was getting sandwich by two different king-sized shredders. One was mangling him to death using strings and digging out the layers of his soul while the other was injecting him with poisonous conceptions that depraves him down into the darkest abyss.
Ben Li never had strong willpower to begin with. Thus, even the slightest pressure would faze him so much. So, dealing with the malicious thoughts in his head while the glowing strings were eating his soul like worms was breaking him apart faster than he could think.
His thoughts that kept him from insanity were fading. No, they were already gone and he was already insane. And what's more was his soul was being torn to bits.
Strings after strings were digging into his soul, all the way to his very core. It threatened to destroy his soul. It threatened him with true death.
If this goes on, being brain dead will no longer be his concern.
The very fact his soul is being dug out from the inside already warranted his death wish!
Meanwhile, Wang Xie was watching on the sidelines. Anxiously watching Ben Li in a daze.
Yes, a daze. It appears he's not doing else after inheriting the cultivation heritage...
"Oy, are you okay?" Wang Xie asked but Ben Li didn't respond.
Wang Xie wasn't aware that what Ben Li was going through was absolute torture to his will and spirit. However, because Wang Xie's soul was inside the glob of essences, he can roughly feel that something was changing its structure from the outside.
Then Wang Xie suddenly had a thought...
Perhaps he's going through sudden epiphany?
I mean, The Ten Commandments of The Demonic Hades Imperial Gospel even has such profound concepts interpreted as the bare basics. In fact, it was much more profound compared to core arts back at the sect.
And guessing how it's the first time he had seen such deep insights regarding the mind and soul, it's highly likely that he's going through sudden epiphany.
However, why am I still feeling so anxious?
Why does it feel like something crawling on my skin?
It's like sensing an impending doom waiting to be unleashed but unbeknownst to its current progress.
Wang Xie was getting anxious. Then angst. Then very angst. And eventually, he grew annoyed.
In swift motion, Wang Xie entwines his fingers around the destiny string and tugged it lightly. At the next moment, his voice reverberated inside Ben Li's mind and overpowered all the other thoughts invading in his head.
"What are you doing screwing around? You're giving me goosebumps."
Meanwhile, Ben Li's senses that was drifting in the dark abyss suddenly heard a Wang Xie's voice and couldn't help but bitterly smile to himself.
Ah, I was expecting some angel's voice would descend from the heavens and take me away but I guess hearing you whining is better than hearing these annoying thoughts.
Being reminded that Wang Xie was observing him without his notice, he suddenly reminded again of what he said.
'Think of a thought that doesn't branch out and has no hesitation in it. Only by putting all attention into one unfaltering thought will the mind naturally disperse all miscellaneous thoughts and attain a clear mind... It seems simple to do but thinking about something that overpowers these heretical thoughts is really difficult.'
His senses were drifting in the dark abyss and saw nothing but the cold darkness. He hears nothing but the depraving thoughts echoing, and constantly giving him images of lustfulness, ego, desire, jealousness, listlessness, ravenousness, madness... It was driving him mad. Annoyingly mad.
Meanwhile, Wang Xie was really angst at this moment. His anxiousness hadn't faded after he tugged the string and grew even more anxious. Now he really knew something bad was happening and it all had to do with Ben Li dazing off.
And what's more, Ben Li's figure was fading. He was fading from existence along with the destiny string right before his very eyes.
Only then did Wang Xie realized that Ben Li was dying. didn't know how he was dying but Wang Xie wasn't up to find out.
Left with no choice, Wang Xie pulled the destiny string hard enough and his shout rippled out inside Ben Li's head.
"Quit screwing around already and wake the fuck up!"
Wang Xie's voice was like the echoing thunder that reverberated before the lightning. It came with prior warning and it shook Ben Li's mind in turmoil.
The heretical thoughts swirling in his head were trembling in response to this rippling turbulence. It seems they were afraid of Wang Xie's voice. His voice was akin to the call of God. Dispersing all the thoughts away.
At the same time, a sliver of Ben Li's fading conscious was responding to Wang Xie's call.
"Wait... I want to know..."
Consequent to those words spoken, Ben Li's soul underwent miraculous transformation.
As if a newborn baby coming awake to see the world, Ben Li's soul opened its eyes for the first time.